In the past, the two have played down the animosity, despite reports they no longer see eye-to-eye. On Wednesday, however, the growing rift was laid bare to the public during Mamelodi’s launch of his memoir titled, ‘Protecting the Game’.
What started off as a celebratory evening turned tense when Rakgare took to the podium, speaking just metres from where Letshwiti was seated.
The two did not exchange a handshake when the minister departed after delivering his speech. Rakgare also aimed a thin veiled attack at Botswana Football League chairperson, Nicholas Zakhem and board member, Jagdish Shah. “Some football administrators are not in football for the right reasons. They join and acquire shareholding in our teams for their own selfish sake.
I wish to remind all of us here that this football belongs to us, and when I mean us, I mean us, those of us who have only Botswana as our first and second home. I hope I am clear,” Rakgare said. “When we say we must protect this game, we must indeed protect it. We must wake up as football lovers, we need not gossip and say things on the corridors failing to take on people who are messing our football head on,” he added. Rakgare continued: “I will be doing injustice to our football if I didn’t say this publicly that personally, I am losing hope on the leadership of football in this country.
This I say without fear or favour and I have genuine reasons why. We have people, whom the football leadership seem to be protecting...those who dragged our football before the courts of law and they are still recognised as football leaders. How on earth does this happen?” “While you are talking about protecting the game Big Ash (Mamelodi) some are here to destroy the game and this must not be condoned.” Rakgare insinuated their fights have reached the freedom square and that there are people sponsoring his political opponents in the Mogoditshane constituency.
“I know some in the past have said they will support my political opponents in Mogoditshane, I don’t care, I am ready. In fact, they have been pumping in money supporting my political opponents. It is okay, it’s not about me. It’s about our country. I am a Motswana before anything else.
” A visibly rattled Letshwiti took to the podium soon after Rakgare’s address. “Some people are brave and I don’t think I am that brave. I was going to read a (prepared) speech but I have decided not to but rather let the secret out of the pocket, that myself, in all my life, I have known how to interpret balance sheets and profit and loss.
That was my career until somebody drew me into football and that was Mr Mamelodi,” Letshwiti said. “He had a big hand in recruiting me to football. So if I am bad leader, rre Mamelodi, your choice was not the best,” Letshwiti added. Shah, who was an apparent target of Rakgare’s attack, made a sarcastic reference with the use of the word ‘foreigner’. Rakgare has previously said they cannot let football be destroyed by foreigners. “I must say thank you very much for giving me this opportunity Mr Mamelodi. As a foreigner, to give an opportunity like this, and embrace a person like me, thank you very much,” Shah said.
Despite the tense moment, the book launch proved an overwhelming success, with the venue at Sethoa Office Park filled above capacity. It drew the who-is-who in football, particularly past administrators. There were guests from South Africa who included COSAFA chief executive officer, Sue Destombes and Thomas Kwenaite from Supersport.
